Key Highlights
- Ripple CEO once again reminded that XRP is the center of Ripple’s ecosystem after the latest acquisition of Hidden Road
- The firm becomes the first crypto company to own and operate a global, multi-asset prime broker
- In the last 2 years, the company acquired five major firms, including GTreasury, Rail, Standard Custody, and Metaco
In the latest post on X (formerly Twitter), Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, expressed his optimism in Ripple’s ecosystem after the latest acquisition of Hidden Road, saying that “I’m reminding you all that XRP sits at the center of everything Ripple does. Lock in.”
With today’s close of Hidden Road (now Ripple Prime), Ripple has announced 5 major acquisitions in ~2 years (GTreasury last week, Rail in August, Standard Custody in 2024, Metaco in 2023). As we continue to build solutions towards enabling an Internet of Value – I’m reminding you… https://t.co/O5Uub7ulw9
— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) October 24, 2025
His post comes amid ongoing upward momentum in the XRP token. At the time of writing, the cryptocurrency is trading at around $2.50 with a 4.06% spike in the daily chart. According to CoinMarketCap, XRP’s cumulative market capitalization is around $150.09 billion.
Ripple Acquires Hidden Road
On October 24, Ripple announced that it had officially finished buying Hidden Road, a company that helps big banks and investors manage money safely. The deal costs $1.25 billion, which is one of the biggest acquisitions in the cryptocurrency sector’s history.
Ripple now renames Hidden Road as “Ripple Prime” to make it easier for big companies to use crypto like Bitcoin or XRP in everyday business.
The purpose of this acquisition is to connect the old-school banking sector with the digital currency. Hidden Road handles over $3 trillion in trades every year for more than 300 clients. With this acquisition, Ripple can now expand its operations and provide numerous services like
- Safe storage of digital money (custody).
- Fast trading in crypto, stocks, and foreign money (FX).
- Cheaper and faster payments across countries using Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) blockchain
This acquisition is also supposed to boost the utility and reach of Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD. It will be used as “collateral” for trading and loans on Ripple Prime’s platform. This means big investors can use RLUSD to borrow money or trade without selling their other assets.
It is the first stablecoin to allow “cross-margining”; mixing crypto trades with traditional stock trades easily and cheaply.
“In many ways, the two companies are cut from the same cloth and have a shared DNA—from a similar global footprint with offices around the world, to a joint passion for and strength in technology, risk management and operational controls,” stated in the official announcement.
“Both teams are excited for continued integration throughout the year, with Hidden Road Founder and CEO Marc Asch working directly alongside Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and the rest of the leadership team.”
Ripple Expands Its Ecosystem With Major Acquisitions
In the last 2 years, the cryptocurrency giant has acquired 5 major entities. This includes an announcement to acquire treasury management system provider GTreasury last week, a stablecoin-powered payment platform, Rail, in August 2025, the acquisition of Standard Custody in June 2024, and Metaco in May 2023.
With the series of acquisitions, Ripple is quickly turning into a big player in the world’s money system. In 2025, it is buying companies and teaming up with banks to mix old banking with new digital tech like XRP and RLUSD. CEO Brad Garlinghouse said that the company is “rewiring the entire banking system.”
Ripple started with cross-border payments, but now it is gradually building full tools for banks and big businesses. Its technology is expected to cut costs by 70%, beating slow systems like SWIFT. With US rules for the crypto sector getting friendlier after the 2024 SEC win, the firm has attracted the attention of many major banks.
